To help you gain the most from our LongIslandbiz2biz.com website, please familiarize yourself with the rules and guidelines below for participating in the site,posting messages, comments and participating in the chat rooms.

Warning. Posting on this public forum will be exactly that, public. Whatever you post will be available to anyone with an internet connection.

The basic ground rules for discussions on our forums are simple: be polite, use common sense and don't break the law.

You are permitted a maximum of one account, active or inactive, regardless of how many companies you represent. If you choose to ignore this important restriction, all your accounts will be disabled. If you require a temporary user name for any reason, please open a helpdesk ticket. If you require a user name change, please open a helpdesk ticket. If you have forgotten your log in details and are unable to retrieve them via the system, do not create a new account, please open a helpdesk ticket.

We don't intend to censor messages based on the opinions expressed within posts, but we will enforce the policies outlined both here and on the Forum. We reserve the right to remove, modify or move posts at our discretion and without explanation.

Suspension of your account is a definite consequence of not adhering to these guidelines.

General Rules:

    * We take the "Be Polite" rule very seriously. We do not tolerate any rudeness. Any member who is intentionally unpleasant or disruptive may be banned from the site without warning.
    * If you SPAM our members in any manner, your account will be disabled. Do not contact anyone to suggest your product or service who is not explicitly expecting you to contact them from an advertising forum post.
    * Your account is yours alone. You are responsible for any activity created with it. You may not share your account login with anyone. If you choose to ignore this important restriction your account, and any accounts associated with it, will be disabled.
 
Please note this list does not include the full terms of service (also known as your user agreement). These rules and guidelines are designed to help give a better understanding of what behavior is expected and make your experience more enjoyable and safe.
 
Rules (DON'Ts):
 
1. No discussion of any illegal activity or threats of violence. (ie. illicit drug use, including medical marijuana use, threats of suicide or self-injury, or threatened or intended physical harm).  Discussions of suicide or self-harm that are deemed negative and therefore potentially injurious to others are also not permitted.
 
2. No use of explicit, obscene or vulgar language or images and/or messages, including racist remarks.
 
3. No posts that attack, insult, "flame", defame, or abuse members or non-members.   Respect other members of the community and don’t belittle, make fun off, or insult another member or non-member.  Decisions about health and well-being are highly personal, individual choices.  "Flaming" and insults, however, will not be tolerated. Agree to disagree. This applies to both the forums and chat.
 
4. No advertising or links to advertising or "Spam" is permitted (including signatures).

    * Advertising or Spam is defined as posting a link for the purpose of selling, soliciting or promoting by someone that has ownership or other "vested interest" to the web site involved, including efforts to promote other online forums or web sites by web site owners.
    * If you are a web site owner and have a link that fits into this category that you want to share, please submit it to our resource directory and we will review your submission.
    * Posts and links about fundraising (including nonprofit fundraisers) are NOT permitted.
    * Only links to personal home pages are allowed in signatures and member profiles. Links must be appropriate and abide by rules #1-4 or they will be removed.
    * Links to helpful web sites (commercial or otherwise) are allowed when they are posted by someone without any "vested interest" AND whose purpose is NOT to solicit, advertise, promote, fundraise, etc.

5. No posts regarding research studies, surveys or clinical trials without obtaining prior approval from the forum administrator before posting to the forums. 
 
6. No links to any web site or use of any username that fits into rules # 1-4 above.
 
7. No use of multiple usernames. Please register and use only one username.  Posting under multiple user accounts will result in administrative action (ie. banning).
 
8. No posts of copyrighted material.  Information copyrighted or owned by any individual or entity other than the person posting should not be posted on the message boards without the consent of the owner.
 
9. No posts of lengthy articles.  Sharing information is allowed, but this website is not to be used to publish articles. It is an improper use of critical resources. If you want to publish articles on our website - submit your writing to our Editor in Chief.

10. No posts of an overtly political or religious nature OR posts promoting advocacy of particular personal, medical, legal, religious, political, or non-profit causes.  The forums are intended for offering mutual personal support.  Debating controversial subjects should be taken elsewhere.  Limited religious references are allowed (ie. "my prayers are with you" or a brief quote as part of a larger post), but the forums should not be used to convert others.
 
11. No cryptic posts.  Using cry_pt_ic messages to "skirt" the rules is not permitted.
 
12. If it shouldn’t be viewed by minors, then it shouldn’t be posted anywhere on our website.  This is a public, family-friendly forum. In addition, if something would not be considered “work safe” (to a boss or co-worker), then it shouldn’t be posted.
 
13. Do not disrespect moderators.  Be respectful in both the forums and any private communications with moderators.  Moderators are volunteers that donate many, many hours of their own time to help in the forums and chat rooms.  Violations of this rule will not be tolerated.
 
14. No SHOUTING.  Remember, using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS in posts is considered yelling and rude, plus it is difficult to read.
 
15. Do not post offline personal contact information (ie. your home address, phone numbers etc.) and do not ask for personal information from others.  Modify your member profile to set privacy settings for your account.   This is to protect your security and identity.
 
16. No duplicate posts.
 
17. No irrelevant or off-topic posts. Posts which are not relevant to the topic may be deleted at the moderator's discretion.
 
18. No lengthy signatures. Moderators will edit and/or remove signatures that are too long.
 
Guidelines (DO's):
 
1. Check for open topics.  Before posting a new topic, please check to see if there is already a topic open on the subject.
 
2. Ignore bothersome members. 
 
3. Report posts that violate the rules and guidelines by selecting the Admin alert button (VIEW IMAGE) at the top right corner of the post to notify the administrator. We will act on the report as quickly as we can.  Do not reply to the offending post as that typically only encourages the poster.
 
4. Use good judgement.  NEVER rely on information or opinions exchanged via the forums or chat rooms to replace necessary, personal consultation(s) with qualified health or medical professionals to meet your individual health or medical needs.  Remember that what's right or has worked for one person may not be what's right for you.
 
5. Lend a helping hand. A bit of compassion can go a long way toward helping people and reaching out can help you become an authority and some we all will want to network with. We're all different, but we're really all the same. At sometime or another, we all need or want help or simply someone with whom we can share our burdens or successes.
 
6.  Don't be afraid to share.
 
7.  Welcome new members. When newcomers arrive, say "hi" and welcome them. Help new folks "learn the ropes" about how to find information and resources, save time, and how to get involved. You will also find a lot of help using the forums themselves.
 
8.  Use descriptive titles for new posts. Avoid "generic" post subjects like "Help" or "Question".  You will receive a better response to your posts by being more descriptive about the content of your post.
 
Please Remember:
 
Users that do not abide by the rules may be subject to having their posts edited or deleted, their member account permanently banned from further access and/or deleted without notice.
 
Rules and guidelines may change at any time, please re-read them regularly.